Pennsylvania category, Page 63
Philadelphia mayoral race hones in on crime policies
In Philadelphia’s first mayoral race since crime spiked during the coronavirus pandemic, the crowded Democratic field is trying to make public safety a campaign cornerstone, advocating approaches that range from mental health interventions and cleaner streets to echoes of “tough-on-crime” Republican rhetoric. Six Democrats are considered serious contenders to succeed...
Pa. House committee approves bill tightening railroad regulations after East Palestine derailment
A bill that would expand Pennsylvania’s role in railroad safety enforcement passed a House committee vote with broad bipartisan support Wednesday, three months after East Palestine, Ohio rail disaster near the state border. The House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee approved House Bill 1028 Wednesday on a 19-2 vote....
Is nurse shortage myth or reality? Question drives Pa. hospital staffing debate
Is a shortage of nurses preventing hospitals from hiring enough? Or is there a sufficient supply of nurses, but not enough willing to work in hospitals? That’s a central question in the debate over a proposed Pennsylvania law that would require hospitals to provide a minimum number of nurses for...
Bill to broaden LGBTQ+ protections passes Pennsylvania House
HARRISBURG — A bill to broaden protections for LGBTQ+ people passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives on Tuesday — the first to advance this far after yearslong efforts by Democrats — though it faces strong headwinds in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill passed 102-98 in the House where Democrats...
Workers: ‘Rotten egg’ smell before Pa. chocolate factory blast
Workers at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory smelled “rotten eggs” before a powerful natural gas explosion that leveled one building, heavily damaged another and killed seven people, federal safety officials said Monday in a preliminary report. The National Transportation Safety Board’s five-paragraph account of the fatal explosion confirmed earlier reporting by...
Aged Van Winkle bourbons featured in upcoming PLCB lottery
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s next round of lottery drawings for more than 3,900 specialty bottles will take place next week. Registration will be open through 5 p.m. on Friday. The lottery is only open to Pennsylvania residents and liquor-license holders. Winners will have a chance to purchase limited-release bourbon...
Man who gave $1M to IUP’s osteopathic medicine school explains why he donated
Rich Caruso was skeptical when he learned his alma mater, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, wanted to boost rural physician access by opening the commonwealth’s first school for osteopathic medicine on a state university campus. Then his 101-year-old mother, Margaret, got sick. What happened next to the woman who lives in...
Pennsylvania Senate panel advances bill that would ban supervised injection site
A state Senate bill that would ban what are often called “supervised injection sites” has elicited a divide among Democratic lawmakers and potentially opened a new front in Republicans’ repeated efforts to circumvent the power of Philadelphia’s district attorney. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday discussed and ultimately approved Senate...
The Pa. legislature appears to have met a tax break it doesn’t like: one for teachers, nurses, and cops
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Harrisburg policymakers appear unlikely to embrace a signature selling point in Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first budget: a tax...
Pa. breast cancer screening bill signed into law
Pennsylvania created a new law Monday that will require insurers to cover preventive breast and ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk women at no cost. In doing so, the state became the first in the nation to establish such a law. The bill was introduced by Senate President Pro Tempore Kim...
3 killed, 1 wounded in Philadelphia shooting; 2 in custody
PHILADELPHIA — Two teenagers have been charged with firearms and related offenses following the slaying of three people and the wounding of a fourth person at a northeast Philadelphia home, authorities said. Lt. John Stanford told reporters that officers called to the residence in the Lawncrest neighborhood shortly after 3:30...
Penn State University trustees to weigh spending $70 million for first phase of Beaver Stadium renovation
Penn State University appears poised to move forward with the first phase of renovating Beaver Stadium, a closely watched project to extend the life of one of the nation’s largest and most familiar college football venues. University trustees, due to meet Friday, May 5 at University Park, are expected to...
Commencement season gets underway
A friend asked Katy Nesbitt what’s more stressful: Being second-guessed by thousands of screaming World Cup soccer fans in a gigantic stadium or giving the commencement speech at her alma mater. The first American woman to referee at a men’s World Cup, Nesbitt laughed at the thought, knowing she will...
What will Pa. House Democrats do with a majority? First, they’re moving long-stalled priority bills.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Democrats used the first full week of session since they solidified their majority in the state House to...
Police say Altoona man killed neighbor, lived with the corpse for 3 days
An Altoona, Blair County, man is under arrest after police say he killed his neighbor and then lived with the corpse for three days. According to WTAJ, police were called to an apartment along Eighth Avenue around 3:49 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a robbery involving Raymond Oechsle Jr.,...
Landmark bill in fight against breast cancer headed to Gov. Shapiro’s desk
Landmark legislation is on its way to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk that represents a major step forward in the fight against breast cancer and is a sign that bipartisanship is possible in Pennsylvania’s divided General Assembly. The House on Wednesday voted 200-0 to pass a bill that won unanimous support...
Pa. House passes bill officially recognizing Diwali
The state House nearly unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to officially recognize Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights celebrated in the fall. State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless, introduced the bill and celebrated its passing. Venkat is the first Indian-American representative in Pennsylvania state House history. “This legislation is important in...
Gun control measures advance in Pennsylvania state House
HARRISBURG — Democrats advanced four gun-control bills in Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives on Wednesday after years of a virtual standstill on legislation amid a politically divided government. The bills passed through committees on party lines. They could go before the full House as early as next week. The measures...
Tuition discounting by private colleges and universities reaches new high
Sticker prices at private colleges may be sky high, but what many students actually pay has been lower as those schools aggressively compete by dangling deep tuition discounts. Now, a new study finds that for the first time, entering and returning undergraduates at those schools, on average, are paying less...
Pa. House passes 4th bill on child sex abuse lawsuit window
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday passed — for the fourth time this year — a measure that would open up a window in the commonwealth’s statute of limitations in order to allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse a two-year legal window to file suit. House Bill 1 —...
Bill allowing counties to process mail ballots early clears 1st hurdle in Pa. House
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — After years of advocacy and political deadlock, Pennsylvania counties could be a step closer to getting more time to...
Switch to Pa.’s corporate filing system led to backlog and longer waits for business owners
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Business owners trying to register new companies in Pennsylvania faced unusually long waits this winter, after the state switched...
House committee passes anti-discrimination bill for LGBTQ Pennsylvanians
The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee approved a bill Monday that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s nondiscrimination law, a step forward in what was described as a two-decade effort to codify rights for LGBTQ people in the state. The legislation, House Bill 300, is a fundamental...
DuBois official’s corruption arrest puts consolidation with Sandy Township at risk
This story first appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA’s State College regional bureau featuring the most important news and happenings in north-central Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. SANDY TOWNSHIP — The arrest of DuBois City Manager Herm Suplizio in March on corruption charges...
Affordability remains top issue for Pa.’s state-related universities during budget process
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities are asking the legislature for a long-awaited budget increase,...
